Using a randomized control trial to evaluate the effectiveness of glove changing in reducing wound-related complications following cesarean section in Vietnam

Abstract

Abstract Purpose: to investigate the effectiveness of glove changing in reducing complications of cesarean deliveries in Vietnam. Methods: 629 pregnant women were randomly distributed to the usual care or the glove change group using computer-generated sequences. The glove change group had intra-operative glove-changing prior to abdominal closure during a cesarean section while the usual care group did not. Information about wound-related complications and surgical site infection was collected through direct medical examination and survey within 1 month of surgery. Data were processed and analyzed by Stata 16.0. Multiple logistic regression was used to identify potential factors that were associated with infectious complications after cesarean section. Results: Wound-related complications were significantly reduced from 7.8 % in the usual care group to 2.6% in the glove change group (p=0.005). Surgical site infection rates were also significantly reduced from 4.4% to 1.3% in the usual care and glove change groups, respectively (p=0.034). Other factors including ruptured membranes, surgical wait time, ASA classification, and additional surgeries such as hysterectomy, were found to significantly affect wound-related complications and surgical site infection rates following cesarean section. Conclusion: Changing gloves prior to abdominal wall closure significantly decreases the incidence of wound complications and surgical site infection after cesarean section. We suggest this practice be applied in the cesarean section procedure together with other interventions to improve women’s physical and mental health after cesarean section.